


Take Me Home Where I Belong

by solivagant_i



Series: You're The Reason I'm Divine [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Boys In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Here we go, I'm Sorry, Idiots in Love, Internalized Homophobia, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Kageyama is stupid, M/M, Minor Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Minor Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Minor Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Minor Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Momsuga, Multi, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke are Bros, Not Beta Read, Other, REALLY MINOR, Remember Betrayal Knows My Name, Slow Burn, War AU, basically percy jackson, but not, dadchi, god AU, i'm just as confused as you, ish, kind of, like squint and you might see it here, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solivagant_i/pseuds/solivagant_i
Summary: “ Take me home, take me home, home where I belong.”“I was dancing in the rain, I felt alive and I can’t complain.”A forced family, all stuck together by fate. The world is harsh to those who are stuck in ignorance, the next divine pair is needed to repair the harsh world from the ever-growing ache that has slowly started to build from the years they have been put to rest. God’s light, heart, flight, pain, love, art, hearing, sight. Though comes the task of preparing the next generation of fighters for the stars to judge. But a ticking clock may cause more problems than good.ORHinata and Kageyama are kind of soulmates, but they're too stubborn to really do anything about and literally everyone is frustrated - did they mention that they could die if this didn't work? Odd thing to overlook I know.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko & Yachi Hitoka, Takeda Ittetsu & Ukai Keishin, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: You're The Reason I'm Divine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673218
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. A Small Crow

**Author's Note:**

> But this one - she freed her hand from her pocket, placing it onto her stomach - she was only eight weeks along so she wasn’t showing just yet - this one had to make it. For her, she needed the child to save her, save her from the dark clouds that kept inching closer to the ground. Closer to her head, ready to finally suffocate her. Drown her in her own tears and sobs.

A woman with apricot tinted hair rushed through the heavy downpour. Her hair clung to her shoulders and turned it into a darker shade. Her hands shook inside her thin coat, her shoulders were damp and cold, the water soaking through the fabric. 

The streets were dark, the street lamps only illuminating a dim warm light. As the woman - Hinata Aiko walked under the light she had the fleeting want to stay under it. The light - despite the light color as the bulb inside grew weaker and weaker was a soft orange, much lighter than her own orange locks atop her head. 

She had come a long way from her safe haven of sorts, where her family was waiting for her. They were probably concerned as to where she had gone off to, days before she had left without a word. Packed a bag of her clothes and the money she had earned from her day job - and simply left. It was her own business in the end. 

It was her child she was trying to save. 

The world was harsh, cruel, nasty. Aiko knew that much, she had watched as her mother had fallen ill and within a matter of weeks fell to the crumbling demise called death. It hit her family like a rock. Her father wouldn’t even speak to them - he told them now that it was due to their burning hair. As he looked upon her brothers and sister and saw those orange locks - she could remember the horror on his face as he looked at his children. 

Sure they had been well into their teenage years, her eldest siblings were adults by that time, but her mother’s hair had always been special. A prime showcase of her ever fighting spirit. Which had, in this case, finally stopped fighting.

But that had been much different than what Aiko had faced for the past 3 years. 

She had been almost ten when she was sure she met the man of her dreams. He was a boy with soft blonde hair, large brown eyes, and plump rosy cheeks. He had only been a year older than herself, but that didn’t stop them. They spent every waking second with each other, it was odd to think that at the time she never thought they would be separated. It was simply impossible to separate the two teens - quite literally. They went everywhere together, did everything together. Everything was simply both of them - together. That was all their world would ever be in their own minds. 

Aiko knew she had been in love with him from the start, even if she had met him when he was crying because he had fallen out of a tree. His cheeks had been puffy and large tears kept rolling down his cheeks and she couldn’t look away as he sobbed. It was odd - looking back on it. How infatuated she had been with him when they had been in such an odd circumstance, but she held that memory in her heart even as her own heart grew colder and colder. 

It took them years to truly get together - they were 20 when they went on their first date with each other. A long time to be waiting - she could briefly hear the voice of her mother, it rang in her eyes as she pressed on through the streets. Lightning crackled from high above, lighting the street down below for a split second. 

Their life from then on had taken a small tumble, they had been fine at first - perfect she had called it back then. When she was young and blind - oh so terribly blind and foolish. They had moved away from their families, bought a small home and they were meant to live the rest of their days there. 

But then their first child’s heartbeat had left and never returned, and then the next - and the one that had been promising joined those as well. They all lasted around the same amount of time. And each time Aiko would rejoice and they would go about and pretend to be happy. Pretend they weren’t fearful of that one not making it. 

The first child - she wanted to name them Toro - something without true meaning, something that just sounded nice, left her tongue easily. Her small Toro, despite not being with her long she had danced around the house for hours with her partner, they screamed and shouted and cried - ignorant in what was to come. The pain that would hit them like lightning was one fateful doctor’s appointment. 

Though rainbow babies exist, and she was convinced that her Toro would come back. He just needed some time, needed to wait until her joy settled down and he was constantly shocked by the raging emotions his mother kept forcing onto him. She would rub her stomach over and over, whisper small prayers during the darkness of the night. Stare up at the stars and wish - over and over - hope that for once she would be lucky. 

Her family might’ve been called carrot tops for their ginger hair, but it was surely not for their attraction of rabbits.  
The second child was greeted with gentle praise, a gentle hand placed onto her flat stomach and sweet kisses met her cheeks. She had come to name that child Natsuki - she had thought it would be a girl. Though just like the last it didn’t matter, she had never gotten a chance to even feel her small Natsuki kick from inside of her. 

The third had only earned a small smile from both herself and her partner - their eyes held bags under them and the roof above them had begun to rot. Aiko hadn’t been surprised when her child’s development had stopped - there had been no name to honor them, no gender to think upon, nothing. Nothing besides old tears and straining shouts. 

But this one - she freed her hand from her pocket, placing it onto her stomach - she was only eight weeks along so she wasn’t showing just yet - this one had to make it. For her, she needed the child to save her, save her from the dark clouds that kept inching closer to the ground. Closer to her head, ready to finally suffocate her. Drown her in her own tears and sobs. 

Her husband - ex-husband as it stood as of now - had left days prior to her finding out about her pregnancy. Their relationship had dwindled down to a thin string, small enough that just the slightest amount of pressure would send two ends of it flying. 

Though she hadn’t been surprised by that either, slowly things just got harder. She couldn’t stand the sight of his face, the sound of his voice, the smell of his cologne, the piercing sound of glass bottles hitting each other. Everything - everything that had once made him so wonderful, minus the new game of drinking, made her despise him. 

She couldn’t see him as anything more than a vile creature. Those large eyes that once held delight full chestnuts were now filled with dreadful muddy puddles. And she sure did hate it when mud was tracked into her house. 

Their house was another thing - it had begun to fall apart, the paint peeling and chipping, the floor caving in, the doors creaking, the roof pooling in certain areas and the list went on and on. Living in that house was almost as much of a challenge as living with that man. That man who would go on and on about things that neither of them could control and blame one of them for it. It was easier to place the blame on something than to let it be and die. 

Aiko let out a shriek as the thunder roared and lightning sparked high in the sky. Blue eyes widened and glanced up to the dark clouds that swarmed together like bees around a hive. They swelled with rain almost like a wasp that had been enraged. The rain grew harsher with each small step she took. 

The ginger took a small breath as she walked, her eyes closing briefly as she allowed herself to calm her now racing heart. Lower it from her throat and back into her chest where it could pump blood to the rest of her body and finally make it to her destination. 

Her destination was something she was still not sure of. She needed help from a man with a slick tongue and special hands as the tale went. A friend of hers had suggested the man - The Kokoro of Saints - or as she had heard from those in town while she was looking for his home - The Man of the Stars. Both titles were odd to her, but she never once questioned them, even as she traveled into the rural area of the town. Where the trees began to grow closer together and the shrub life was able to thrive to a nearly concerning amount. Everything was untouched by man, at least from what she could see. 

The path she had been walking on slowly strayed away from the heavy cement her feet had grown to understand, now it was nothing more than slick mud and large rocks and glorified pebbles.

Blue eyes darted from one row of trees to the next, her heart welcomed itself back into her throat while she desperately tried to swallow it back down. Was she lost? Her mind raced with the darkness that swelled as she stepped further and further from the last lamp post. No more warm comforting light. Nothing but darkness from now on. 

She closed her eyes, welcoming in her own controlled darkness. Let the harsh air fill her nose, and her ears pick up the sound of the large raindrops crashing to the ground. She couldn’t hear them land individually but there was something about the unity of it all, the rain was a group. Even if the next drop was far away - the next drop was always going to come. 

Aiko raised a hand to her face, running it down her wet skin before opening her eyes once more. A new fire in her veins - she was going to make it, even as she looked before her and saw only darkness and a twisting stumbling path she was going to make it. She had to - for her child, they needed her. Almost as much as she needed them. She forced her fear away, swallowing down and locked her heart away in her chest.

She continued down the path with new confidence, only flinching as the clouds held a war between themselves. She couldn’t afford to stop, not now, stopping would mean for her doom. It would be a signal of her failure - she would turn and run back down the path, go back to her hotel, pack up all her things and take the first train back home. 

She frowned, clenching her fists, the rain made her shiver as it finally soaked completely through her coat and shirt. That thought was dangerous - returning home meant that the child she was carrying now would meet the same fate as the other three. 

She loved Toro - and she wanted nothing more than to meet him if he would’ve been a he, and that was simply it. She couldn’t live any longer without knowing, she needed to know the gender of her child, needed to see their eyes, hear their voice, watch as they run and skip and play. 

And grow. 

That was the main thing she wanted - the main thing she needed. She needed to see her child grow, needed them to live a long and happy life. So while they grew they would be granted whatever they wanted, grow into whatever they liked, and she would sit there with a smile on her face and allow it. No - she wouldn’t “allow” it. She would accept it and love it - love them. 

Because how couldn’t she, no matter what loops and hoops she would be put through. She was promising her child now - she would always love them and do what’s best for them. Do whatever that was needed for them to flourish. 

It was her duty. This was her duty. She quickened her pace. She nearly tripped over a small rock, that then lodged itself into her shoe and she had to keep herself from crying - though she wasn’t sure if all the water on her face was simply rainwater. 

That’s when she heard it - it was barely there, it was small, a tiny noise under all the ruckus of the world. A small shriek. Aiko stopped, her eyes grew the size of saucers, flicking from one area to the sky to the ground. She didn’t know where to look, she couldn’t even comprehend where the shriek came from. Couldn’t tell if it was one of fear or happiness. 

She stood there - the sound of the rain melting away from her ears - the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. She could feel her heart hammering away at her chest, beating against the cage it was forced into.

Another shriek broke her solitude, it was louder this time around. Was she supposed to turn around - was this a warning for her to go back home, was her baby truly worth her life? 

The ginger closed her eyes once more, she wasn’t ready to answer that question just yet. The answer itself was shaky, and that within itself was terrifying to the woman. Another shriek joined her ears as the rain joined them as well. Her heart slowed so she could hear it over all the loud noises that filled her head and swarmed her brain. 

The sound of loud footsteps came next, made her shift in her spot, but she never opened her eyes. They were stuck - glued closed in her time of uncertainty. Then - she felt a tug on her wet coat, it tugged her forward and she let out a small shout. 

Her eyes snapped open and her hands were quick to push the offending figure away. Her hands had never touched anything though, except for the rain that greeted her exposed fingers. She glanced down - and frowned. 

Just under the original line of sight was a small boy with dark brown hair, though she reckoned it was only that color due to the rain, his hair clung to his head and it acted much like his own little cloud. “You nearly knocked my head off !” The boy shouted with a scowl, shaking his small head at her. 

Large pools of blue met small murky brown that were full of life and joy - and trouble. The boy had a large scratch on his cheek that was still bleeding, and his hands were covered in mud which - she let out a small noise as she noticed the mud that was being smudged against her coat. 

“I- I’m sorry !” She replied, while the child simply turned his head away with a small huff, releasing her from his hold. “Didn’t anyone teach you manners! You can’t just go knocking people’s heads off! That’s what a door is for lady !” Despite his tone - which she decided was just the kid copying the way people would scold him - there was a small smile on his lips, one that twitched as if he was trying to hide it away. 

“I really am sorry,” Aiko spoke, brushing the hair from her face, glancing around to find where the child had come from - where were his parents? What was he doing so far away from town? Did someone drop the poor guy off here? 

She glanced back down at the kid, who was biting his lip as he tried to decide whether or not he would forgive the other. His eyes narrowed just slightly - despite the odd situation she smiled as she looked down at him. 

Before she could ask what he was doing out there the boy was snapping his head back to look at her, a frown twisted on his small square face. “I forgive you... I guess,” he declared, tilting his head up - she suppressed a laugh, she supposed it meant a lot for the kid to forgive someone. 

“Thank you, kind sir,” Aiko bent down so they were eye level, the small boy frowned once again,” Now, may I ask you a tiny question?” 

The boy rocked on his heels, her eyes dropped down to his feet, he was wearing bright yellow rubber boots. As she raised her eyes back to his face she noticed that he was also wearing a rubber coat that was also that bright yellow color. He was surely hard to miss. 

“Maybe.” He replied after a moment of thought, crossing his arms over his small chest. 

She let out a small huff of delight - she hoped her own child had this spirit,” What are you doing out here? You’re a little far from home aren’t you?” 

The small boy tilted his head, the frown reemerging while his brows furrowed. “Home is just up the hill a little - it’s not that far, mama hasn’t sent pops after me so I haven’t run too far,” the brunette answered rather confidently.

It was Aiko’s turn to frown - up the hill - her eyes lifted from the little boy, blue eyes focusing on the way the trees were still parted in a small path. She hadn’t seen that before - though she also didn’t see when this little boy had sprung on her. 

“Hey - could you take me to your house? I think I need to see someone there,” Aiko dropped her eyes back to the wet child, large eyes flicking as he thought. 

“I guess - though I need to know your name, my ma is always talkin’ ‘bout manners. So what’s ya name?” He asked, his shoulders that had been slightly hunched had dropped, and he was finally showing Aiko his large smile. 

“Hinata Aiko, what’s your name?” She asked with a smile while the boy grabbed her hand, his small fingers just fitting around three of her fingers - he gave her a light tug as he started to walk. 

“Ukai Keishin, but you can call me Kei - Ukai makes me think of pop-pop,” Keishin shook his head at the mention of the other, turning his head to look up at Aiko the frown once again on his face - he sure did frown a lot. “Pop-pop is weird, and mean, sometimes he pops me with a wooden spoon when I don’t do anythin’,” Keishin continued on, his voice loud - battling against the sound of the storm whirling around them. 

Aiko laughed, shaking her head, wet locks falling into her face. Keishin started to talk about something else and she simply didn’t have the chance to push them away. 

\---

Keishin never stopped holding onto her hand until he had to push the door open to his - house. Which, Aiko looked at the structure - it was surely older than she would’ve expected, was much more like a temple than an actual house. The base was made of stone, with stained white wood that made up the walls, vines climbed the house from every direction, water pooled close to the structure revealing just how far down that stone went. 

Keishin pushed the door once, and then twice before he simply fell to the ground, the door swinging open. Aiko quickly rushed towards him to help him up, brushing him off while he huffed and groaned - sticking out his tongue at the new figure who had opened the door. 

The new figure raised a brow at the two, dark eyes shifting from one to the other. “Keishin didn’t your mother tell you not to go outside when it's raining?” The man asked, his voice gruff and rough, harsh from years of use. As Aiko glanced up to look at the other she was greeted with a man who was beginning to go grey, his brown hair tied back in a wild bun and a wicked smirk that never once left his face. 

It was almost unnerving - but oddly soothing, perhaps she was losing it. Finally giving in to some sort of insanity. “She told me no such thing, old man !” The small boy shouted, flapping his arms in his small rage. The older man only chuckled down at the boy, shaking his head. “That’s no way to speak to your grandfather.”

He turned to look at Aiko, his eyes that same brown color as the small boy's, met cool blue. “And you - are you a fool, coming here in such horrid weather, dry off and I’ll speak with you.” The man began to turn away, and Aiko didn’t know why but now she wanted answers - or perhaps now she was finally beginning to question this entire thing. 

“Wait - I uh- you’re ‘The Kokoro of Saints’ right? I came to speak with him - I apologise if I’m -” The man turned, eyes narrowed - and yet that smirk was still there as if he was enjoying her confusion. He looked like a dog when they saw a bone, ready to attack, but she reckoned the man wasn’t going to attack her. She had heard nothing of attacks when she asked the locals about the rather mysterious man.

But she had heard he was a man of tricks, one had to be careful or else a curse would be forced upon them without a second to act.

“I am a man of many names - though I would definitely prefer if you called me by my surname - Ukai. Where are you from, I can tell you’re not from around here, and your name of course,” Ukai spoke suddenly, those harsh eyes never softening even as his tone did. She felt as if she was being judged. 

“Hinata Aiko, I’m from a couple towns over,” she answered, while Keishin tried to take off his coat struggling with the zipper. Aiko dropped her eyes and smiled as he stumbled around the small area near the front door in an attempt to free himself. She knelt down and gently nudged his hands away, unzipping it for him with a soft smile. 

“Ah - that explains it. You’re much too foolish to be a local, I mean, Keishin there is nearly nine, he can do that himself, he’s a boy growing in my shadow - he knows his tricks.” Ukai waved his hand, Keishin simply stuck his tongue out at his grandfather before asking the woman to help him with his boots.

And just because she was a fool, she held his boots while freed his foot from them. Once his boots were placed next to the door, she cupped his face and smiled - watched as his face brightened and those small delicate eyebrows rise. “I guess I do like tricks - his are very charming,” Aiko declared, her voice soft and sweet. 

Ukai simply shook his head, chuckling again. “A fool girl, you are nothing but a fool - but your heart seems to be large. Too large, perhaps?” He turned and this time Aiko allowed him to, her mind processing what he had said and possibly what she had gotten herself into. 

“Would you like some tea? I’m sure you’re cold,” he spoke, his loud voice breaking the stream of thoughts, much like the thunder that boomed outside the thin walls they were protected by. “It can’t hurt I guess,” she replied after a beat of silence. 

Keishin smiled and grabbed her hand, leading her from the doorway, and through the small house, they had to squeeze through a small hallway to reach a dark room, there was nothing more than a candle lit inside of it, and the flame was much too small to provide any true light. She squinted, tiny hands continued to drag her inside. 

“This is where Pop-pop talks to people, I hope you enjoy your tea, Ms. Hinata !” The boy released her, smiling at her in the darkness, slowly starting to move away from her. “And that everything you need comes to you! You deserve it! “ 

She didn’t get the chance to see the boy runoff, but she could hear his heavy footsteps on the wooden floor. His laughter filled her ears as he ran. Her heart swelled - she could only imagine how she would feel when her little one was running about, the bubbling sensation of laughter stuck in their chest. Oh, how she could only dream of running with them, lifting them high in the air while they giggled and shrieked. Kiss them on both of their cheeks over and over. 

Give them all the love they wanted, all the love she knew they would need. She placed her hand onto her stomach, her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room, she could smell something cooking within it. It was a horrid smell that made her stomach churn, but she was not there to judge the group on how they ate. That was none of her concern. 

“Ah - I’m sorry Keishin dragged you off, I got our tea.” Ukai walked into the room with a candle in his hand, placing it down on the small table she was standing beside. She hadn’t even noticed it was there - she was glad she hadn’t moved while in the room, now with the extra light she could see how cluttered it was. It was neat but small - everything was close together and placed in spots so that the room could be used to the best of its ability. 

“The light is harsh on my eyes, but I can tolerate it, and not everyone can handle the darkness as well as I can.” Ukai shuffled over to the pot boiling on a small stove, he lifted the top and dropped the tea leaves into it - Aiko wanted to say something - perhaps he hadn’t meant to do so. He was older, older people were prone to make mistakes - but before she could say anything the man was sitting down gingerly in a chair. 

He huffed, placing his hands on his knees, rubbing them. “Don’t be a stranger now, have a seat behind ya.” He raised one of his large hands from his knees to point at the small love seat behind herself. Aiko turned, raising a brow in curiosity then nodded rather obediently and sat down. 

“Now, what brings you ‘ere?” The male asked, leaning back in his chair, she couldn’t see his face all that well though she wasn’t sure how much that would add to it all. 

“I heard that you -” She shifted, suddenly the rumors that were held above the man’s head made her feel oddly foolish, but she simply sucked in a breath and continued. 

“- do magic? Or well - you can, heal me - free me from my troubles.”

“What are ya’ troubles?”

Aiko clicked her tongue, which sat in her mouth like lead, she tossed it around but it didn’t want to move all that much. She chewed at the inside of her cheek before she finally opened her mouth once again. 

“I can’t keep any of my children - or well, it's more so I keep having difficulty carrying them. My babies always . . .” She paused, closing her eyes, shifting in her seat. “They always leave me, and I can’t. Not this time, I can’t let this one go - they’re special. I can feel it. I just need to know that they’ll make it.” 

Ukai frowned from his own spot in the room, turning his head to glance at the pot, the bottom was burnt while the top looked like any of the others he had just purchased. Hinata Aiko was nothing new, just another person wishing for the eyes of someone who could help oversee their troubles. Oversee and fix it.  
But - he turned his head back to her, scrunching his nose - her baby wasn’t. He could feel it, it raddled his bones and made his brain run much faster than he needed it to, but he was sure that the baby was something important. Something he needed to keep his eyes on. 

He extended his arm, his fingers on his hand outstretched. “Please take my hand, Hinata.”

Aiko took his hand without asking, even if her eyes were stinging with the pain that had suddenly resurfaced. She kept them closed, leaning back in her seat. 

“Your child will be - strong, but troubled. Troubled in a way that I can not explain but - there is someone out there who can save him,” Ukai swallowed while his thoughts were filled with rhymes and riddles ”but you are in luck, there is a person out there who can save him - they are going down a path of dread, much worse than what your son will face if he is not saved. They shall be each other's saviors.” 

Ukai squeezed her hand, releasing it soon after to turn his body away from her. He stood from his chair, walking through the dark room stopping once he reached a tall shelf. He reached up and grabbed a small glass jar, the inside masked off by a different darkness. One that was truly void of any warmth. Nothing more than that - a void. 

“I can save your child, but on some conditions.”


	2. An Odd Crow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her own little crow - how awfully mundane. He could feel nothing any more special behind the boy’s spirit beside his link to another’s - he supposed the boy would simply be drawn to the other, and that was it. God himself had laid two children down onto earth to be together - how impressive. But he, of course, felt the need to warn her - warn her of -
> 
> The jar suddenly burned in his grasp, he would’ve dropped if he didn’t have the learned control he had mastered over the years. The liquid from within - once dark began to turn into a faint orange, swaying and splashing from the inside of it. The man’s eyes fell to the contents, a frown twisting his face. 
> 
> It called out to him - trying to reach the power he once had, he could feel it, just briefly. He turned to look at the woman, who wasn’t looking at anything in particular. Her eyes had still not adjusted to the darkness that surrounded them both. The liquid from inside the jar seemed to leap, making a small murky sound that reached both of their ears. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES //   
> \- Hinata has ADHD, and he's on the very high functioning side of the autism spectrum. Neither truly affect him now, but they will be slightly more important in the future
> 
> \- Hinata and Kenma are the same age, because yeah forget canon pfft - Kuroo is a year ahead of them because of that very reason! 
> 
> -Hinata has more problems regarding his ADHD than his autism, it's not very clear here, but the only thing that his autism really affects is his regard for people's personal space, and just how generally loud and uncaring he is of the people around him. Other aspects will show as it progresses but that will not be the main focus!

_Conditions ?_ She wondered, her hands felt suddenly dry as if the life had been drained from them. What did he want from her? Would he want her to give him her child, steal them right from under her nose? _No,_ she couldn’t stomach that, she couldn’t think about how she could finally keep one of her children and then have it taken away.

“What -”

Ukai hushed her quickly, perhaps he was saving her from making a pitiful mistake, she could feel the fear running through her veins. Ukai knew how animals acted under pressure when they felt as if they were forced against a wall with nowhere to go. Ukai had once been one of those animals, full of frowns with fear turning his blood cold, making his mind unforgivingly _cold._ He had made a terrible decision back then, and he was sure she would make a bad one now. 

Ukai had never been the best with handling offending remarks - that was why despite the small demon his grandson happened to be, he was never hateful. For hate ruined the soul, to be hateful would force one to rot, whether they were a believer in anything or not. Their soul would be reduced to ash, nothing but horrid filth. 

“Calm it girl.” Was all he said a first, releasing her hand as he stood to move about the room once again, the jar still in his hand, the cool glass stealing the warmth from his old hands. Then he swallowed before saying: “Keep those harsh words in your head, I have no time to raise an infant, nor would I make a good parent for one, not this one. This one is all yours.”

Her own little crow - how awfully mundane. He could feel nothing any more special behind the boy’s spirit beside his link to another’s - he supposed the boy would simply be drawn to the other, and that was it. God himself had laid two children down onto earth to be together - how impressive. But he, of course, felt the need to warn her - warn her of -

The jar suddenly burned in his grasp, he would’ve dropped if he didn’t have the learned control he had mastered over the years. The liquid from within - once dark began to turn into a faint orange, swaying and splashing from the inside of it. The man’s eyes fell to the contents, a frown twisting his face. 

It called out to him - trying to reach the power he once had, he could feel it, just briefly. He turned to look at the woman, who wasn’t looking at anything in particular. Her eyes had still not adjusted to the darkness that surrounded them both. The liquid from inside the jar seemed to leap, making a small murky sound that reached both of their ears. 

_He didn’t have the power to see it._ Not anymore, but he could feel it, that boy was powerful. That’s what the contents of the jar was trying to tell him, powerful how he wasn’t all too sure yet, but as the heat became almost painful he was sure that the boy was much more important than the spirit that lingered over him. 

He swallowed, nearly choking on his tongue, his legs suddenly heavy. He had never not known something before - perhaps he was meant to not know, it was no longer his job to know. He had released that power years ago and allowed for it to grow from within his grandson. It was still odd getting used to being so powerless, so normal. _Plain. Boring._ His mind supplied when he had thought he had run out of things to say about his current life. 

But perhaps this child would be his drive - a new drive, one for his grandson to chase after and help lead. Something more than a brewing crow with a loud squawk and a powerful black beak. Crow spirits were tricky, they had the ability to be anything - and yet nothing all at the same time. He had people visit him before who had the spirit of a crow trapped from within them, it never truly affected them and their terribly boring life. It was just a part of them that only he could feel and see, and could still do just that. He had been born with that ability, he was lucky that when he retired from his old life that God hadn’t taken that from him as well. 

It was in the end what had made him special as a messenger, to see a person’s spirit, it made him more like a leader than just another asset. A person for those around him to seek guidance from because he was not entirely _useless._

“Your boy -” Ukai could see the flare of life in her eyes, excitement he decided, giving a gender meant something to her ,” your boy has a flare to him, a certain. . .”

The man stopped, not sure what to say, for the first time not sure what he felt running through his veins, filling his mind. The power he felt was odd, so unique. Nothing close to those he had met with in the past. 

“Determination. He will be a rowdy spirit.” He decided finally, his confidence returning to him as his brain supplied to him what the spirit read. “With a heart that seeks for nothing more than joy, either for himself or for others, but I can assure you he will be far from selfish, almost to a fault.” 

Ukai was filled with an odd energy as he continued, one that brought a smile to his lips, he was sure it was not due to his own enjoyment. “He will constantly be happy, which may not always be good - for those who are always happy have something to hide. Things will be difficult for a while, a part of him will be hidden behind nice words and an almost unbelievable amount of energy.”

He could feel something else, a pain, a difficulty that came with that energy. And certain oddity. But he only continued to smile at her before handing her the jar. “Here ya are lass - I will need you to down that for at least a week, a large spoonful will do the trick,” He started, a sigh already forming in his chest - now, of course, came the conditions. Perhaps his mouth knew of how special the boy was before he did. 

Aiko almost opened her mouth to ask, but he would always be one step ahead. “Now for the conditions - or shall I say condition.”

His tone grew serious while his brain continued to feed off the spirit, read what it had to offer the older man. “You must return the boy to me, I don’t know when but there will come a time when someone will need him, someone, who will need his light.” That was the most important thing he could feel from the boy, his light. “Your small doll will be a gift of light and will fill anyone with joy with a simple look. No one will ever be able to feel any bad with him around - they might not like him but he will be able to diminish any misery around him - how I can’t determine just yet.” 

Aiko felt her mouth turn dry, she licked her lips slowly, shifting in her spot where she was sitting. She would have to give her child away one day, of course, she could imagine having to face the reality of her child wanting to leave the next, but for his _fate_ to not be with her, it stung. It left a pain in her heart she had not been expecting. But it was there and it was huge - growing the more and more she thought on it. 

But if her baby boy was meant to do some good then - then _she could let him go._ Her boy was going to be made of light, just as he had been made from the love she had once shared with the man who was once the only thing she could think of. 

_He will diminish any misery around him. How wonderful was that !_ She could only think as the pain settled in her heart, though it didn’t dig and burrow itself inside of the organ. Now it just sat there, sat there and reminded her of how it would feel to see the boy leave her behind. But there was joy, just for a brief second, her boy would leave her to do some good. Even if it was just for one person, he would be doing some good. 

And she would still have him until that fateful day. 

She felt as if that was all she could ask from the man. She let out a small breath, letting that pain leave her all in one go. “Okay.” That was all she said, that was all she could say, she reached her hands out for the jar, the odd liquid had changed color, though she supposed he had put something in it that gave it that coloration. She was fine with being ignorant to what it was, ignorance kept her mind away from fear. 

Ukai handed her the jar carefully, afraid it would burn her, and she would drop it. But the woman barely reacted to the new weight, simply nodded to him and stood from her chair, her soft hands moving over the glass. Ukai wanted to ask if it was warm at all but as he looked her over in the dim light - her smile was soft, so soft, and her eyebrows could show her fear - and her hope. He didn’t want to cause her any more worry. She wouldn’t be able to handle it at this moment. 

_“Thank you.”_ She whispered, bowing with the jar still in her hand, his ginger locks falling as she ducked her head. Ukai bowed as well, shaking his head as he chuckled. Oh, what a foolish girl. It was his duty to help those down on earth, he had been born to do so. To save them from their own fears, troubles. As long as it was just, for if it was not he would turn them away. Tell them to entertain their thoughts with someone else, but not him. 

His reputation had been earned due to his strange nature, not for his practice. Some people saw him as blunt and rude and simply couldn’t stand that, then the rumors of him casting curses onto those who spoke ill of him started to arise as those who did were silenced. Not by himself, no he never found joy in keeping people quiet, he actually found it quite interesting to hear what those who once needed him had to say once they were finished with him. 

No, they had been silenced due to their own fear and overthinking. Humans were strange creatures, they could work themselves up to the point of total shut down. 

“There’s no need to thank me girl, but I hope - no, I know all will be good for you.” He stood back up as she did, giving her a small mirrored smile. “Now, off with you, the rain has stopped but it won’t be like that for long, come now.”

He led her from the room, and down the halls silently. The house was silent, which was odd, the child she had met - Keishin her brain filled in - seemed to be so lively. Surely he would be the one to fill the house with noise. But there was nothing, not even the rain, which she hadn’t noticed before. Earlier she had been able to hear the rain fall down and attack the house with its weight, but now there was nothing but an almost eerie silence. 

Ukai placed a large hand on her shoulder while he opened the door, nudging her outside. “Now - don’t pay too much attention to what the doctors say about him will ya. Your boy is - well he’s special in a lot of ways, he’ll always want to be close to someone and he’ll speak out of turn. Just read up on it and do your best to adapt to him.” With that Ukai nodded at her before closing the door with a soft slam. 

Aiko stared at the old wood in front of her, her free hand mindlessly moving to her stomach. _Oh, how odd._

**.:| June |:.**

Hinata Shoyo was born on a hot summer day, when the wind barely blew and sweat covered everyone as the sun beamed down on the people who happened to leave their home. He had the faintest crown of orange on his head, his hair was thin and looked to almost be a blonde color. But his mother knew it was orange, when the summer light shined just a bit brighter she could see the raw fire like color that made up his small and few hairs. 

She had to spend much more time at the hospital than she expected, Shoyo had been born a tad early, and he was awfully _small._ Abnormally so, and thus came all the tests the doctors had to do. Nurses would flood her room, take some kind of sample from the child and then leave - he seemed healthy enough so they hadn’t taken him away from her. But they were cautious of the small baby and his small twists that tugged at his mother’s clothes just a day later. His cries loud as he begged to be fed. 

A week after she was released from the hospital with her new gift to the world, and that had been the first time her family got to see her little boy. They all huddled into her small bedroom just to see the small child, careful to touch him, careful to spread any sort of germs, fearful of how that would affect such a small child. ( One of her siblings had looked down at him and whispered : “He’s so small and weak.” Which earned them a sharp glare and a hiss as she snatched her child away - he was not weak, he was as strong as they came, she had told them passion filling her words. No had mentioned it afterward, though she was sure they were still thinking it.)

Her small baby grew so much within the few following weeks that by late August her family never looked down at him with the same concern. That same fear, they were still cautious - as they should be he was still new to the world and a lot of germs could do great harm to him. But she was never too overprotective of her child, sure _he was her’s,_ but he was also there’s, just partly. He was a Hinata - that title alone made him a part of the family, made him there’s. 

And she was not afraid of that, she wouldn’t want to keep the baby away from those who also cared for him. And he was such a delight to be around, there was never a frown when he was around, not even from her youngest brother who had a problem with small children - especially those who he felt were just a little too fragile for his own clumsiness. But even he sat beside the crib and placed his hand on the baby’s cheek, watched as he kicked his legs a little and let out a small noise. 

The room was just always brighter when he was there, she had almost forgotten about her promise to give her child to the Ukai when it came time. Nearly forgot about the bitter drink she had to stomach for three days, it had been thick and made her gag each time it hit her tongue. But she had managed. 

Right now, all she wanted to do was watch as her small boy grew up. 

**.:::.**

Shoyo was slow - or at least that was what he had heard from the other children of his small class. He wasn’t slow physically, he was one of the fastest boys in his class ! He could easily beat any of them in a race, so no he was not slow that way. 

But mentally he was slow, _apparently._ Shoyo didn’t think he was slow - sure a lot of the things they learned didn’t come easy to his mind, but that was because nothing made sense ! There were plenty of kids who needed help when learning things for the first time, why was he the only one outed? 

The seven-year-old toyed with the crayon in his hand, peeling the covering from it - that annoyed the other kids, or at least it annoyed one of the girls in his class who always frowned at him - just as a boy with dark hair looked up from his coloring page. His eyes were wide, and his hair was long. 

_Was he a boy?_ Shoyo asked himself as his eyes met with the other boy’s, the boy with golden eyes glanced away quickly, busying himself with coloring once again. Shoyo frowned and leaned closer to the other boy. (“He’s always too close!” He had heard a girl whine once to his teacher, she was moved away from him shortly after.) The boy with golden eyes glanced up as he felt the ginger’s eyes on him and he shifted, nervous suddenly. 

“Yes?” The boy asked, swallowing down his nerves as he turned his head to fully look at Shoyo. Shoyo had never been that aware of people, never cared to, is what he would tell his mother. People didn’t look all that interesting. But dragons, dragons were interesting ! She would always shake her head, lift him up and give him a small frown, and say : “Am I not interesting?” And her eyes - they would always look so odd to him, and it hurt him to see so he would always shout that of course, she was. Hug her until that small look went away. 

“Oh - what are you coloring?” Shoyo asked, shifting in his seat. He felt the awful need to run around the classroom - but his mom said he couldn’t. You run outside, inside is for work at school. Inside - work, he reminded himself as he kicked his feet. 

“. . . A - A frog.” The boy’s voice was soft - was he truly a girl he asked his mind again. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying it out loud, and that energy inside of him grew. He stood suddenly from his chair, slamming his hands down onto the table as he brought his face down to look at the colored frog as close as he possibly could. Behind himself, his legs kicked out and he would jump when the energy was just too much. 

He really wanted to scream, and laugh - just do something - anything. This was _boring._ The boy had jumped, he had seen it just out of the corner of his eye - and Shoyo hadn’t moved away, he didn’t even think of it and especially hadn’t thought about saying sorry. But then the boy was giving him a small smile when Shoyo turned his head to look at him. 

“You’re a weirdo.” The boy said simply, and Shoyo decided that he liked that word much more than _slow._ He could deal with weirdo. Weirdo was weird. Weirdo was fun ! Weirdo didn’t make it seem like he couldn’t run fast, so weirdo was fine. Shoyo stuck his tongue out at the boy who he was rather close to, but he hadn’t noticed it himself. The boy only shook his head and gently pushed him away, quietly telling him to sit back down. 

Shoyo complained but then the boy with long hair who he wasn’t sure was really a boy, told him that if he did he would tell him his name - and Shoyo suddenly really wanted to know his name.

So like a good boy that he was sure he was not, he sat down in his small chair, loudly. The boy was shaking his head again but the smile was still there, it was small and faint and it made the ginger feel odd. 

It wasn’t like the other smiles that the children gave him, the ones they gave him before they moved spots. It reminded him of his mom’s smile, the ones that were faint but full of so much joy. Ones that she used when she was trying to hide something exciting from him. Like when they went to the water park last summer, and she was hiding the tickets behind her back. 

Shoyo sat there and waited _patiently._ The boy grinned and then went back to coloring, and with a small laugh said : “You’re like a puppy.”

Shoyo had frowned and then went on about how the boy had _lied to him._ He had been lied to before, but he didn’t care even if they were meant to be much more hurtful than this lie. This one made his heart light and his chest was always light with laughter. The boy would laugh at him and say that if he was a little quieter then he would tell him, and Shoyo would try, really ! But it was hard to sit there with nothing to do, he just had to ask some kind of question. 

“How old are you?”

“Seven.” 

“How old are your parents?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“What’s your name?” Shoyo had smiled at himself, finally expecting the answer he had been waiting for. But all he got was :

“You haven’t been quiet for longer than two seconds !” And a small piece of crayon thrown at him. 

Shoyo couldn’t keep himself from breaking a crayon and throwing it back at the boy in return. 

  
  


Shoyo learned his name during recess - the boy had told him to sit with him during lunch, and Shoyo felt ecstatic, so when the children were all let outside he simply followed the boy to the small area underneath the slide. They climbed under it and the other sat down, pulling out a small video game from his pocket he had gotten before they went outside from his backpack. 

“Kenma!” 

The boy turned his head from his game which he had yet to start and frowned as he was met with a large lanky boy with plump cheeks. His hair was almost as unruly as Shoyo’s but it was much straighter and just seemed to have a habit to defy gravity. 

The boy - Shoyo guessed that was Kenma sighed loudly and stood from his small spot. Slowly he crawled out from his safe haven under the slide. Shoyo followed after him without a single thought, smiling at the other, much taller boy. The taller glanced over at him and gave him a wide smile. “What is it Kuro?” Kenma asked with another sigh, pocketing his game. 

“You’re so mean Kenma!” The taller boy pouted at him, he looked like a large baby to Shoyo, but for once he held his tongue. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that his mind was stuck on the fact that he learned the other’s name. _Kenma._ How odd. How weird. _How cool !_

“Will you run with me today?” Kuroo asked, slouching in a similar fashion as Kenma, who then straightened his stance just slightly. “No,” Kenma replied, crossing his arms before he turned back and went back to his hiding hole. 

Kuroo complained loudly, shouting for the other to join him in something. “I’ll run with you,” Shoyo tried, which stopped the boy’s yelling. He turned to look at the ginger, and his eyes - those small eyes weren’t the same as the rest of the kids in his class. They were almost like Kenma’s flaring in interest as he looked him over. “Really?” The boy questioned, tilting his head, Shoyo was taller than Kenma, not by a lot but he was still taller, so Kuroo supposed he would be able to run faster than him. Winning was always fun. 

Shoyo nodded eagerly, a large goofy smile on his face. “Well, okay then ! First one to that tree,” Kuroo pointed to the only tree in the fenced-off playground area,” wins.” 

Shoyo nodded once more and watched as Kuroo dropped into a runner’s stance, copying him with slight difficulty. 

“He’s a cheater !” Kenma warned from his place under the slide. 

Shoyo only laughed, glad to get rid of the energy burning from within him. 

Kuroo screamed ‘go’ suddenly, and Shoyo had stood there for a moment, his brain trying to catch up for a moment. He distantly heard Kuroo laughing and Kenma muttering ‘told you so.’ It was so much, and it made Shoyo finally laugh as he started to move his legs, sprinting with ease, catching up with Kuroo almost instantly. 

That had been the first time Kuroo had lost to anyone in his grade and the grade below him. And then he proceeded to lose two times more.

**.::.**

“Hinata you should come running with us tomorrow.” 

Shoyo made a small noise as he moved about his room, toying with one of his trucks that he had tripped over just a moment ago. 

“Tomorrow is my birthday,” he replied, standing up, he was going to be 10, Kuroo was a year older than both him and Kenma, so he was already ten. That’s why all he got was a dramatic sigh from him over the phone and a small laugh from Kenma. 

“How about later in the day?” Kenma suggested and Shoyo tilted his head, placing his hand under his chin as he thought on it. “Maybe, I’ll have to ask my mom though. We might go somewhere, she’s been so really. . sneaky !” He turned quickly, a small hop and twist, to look at the door, truly expecting his mom to be there and catch her in the act. 

School had only gotten harder from his time in the 1st grade, slowly his teachers were expecting more and more of him at a faster rate. It felt like he was drowning at times, and the kids didn’t make it any easier. There were some who were nice to him, mostly girls who gave him such a pitiful glance it almost always made him want to shout and lash out. Never hit them though, hitting a girl would make him even more terrible than the class had already deemed him. 

It was bad enough he was _a ginger._ Some people complimented his hair, called it cool, nice, something good, but then there were some who would give him an odd glance. Shoyo had never spent a lot of time in a church but Kenma had been the one to explain it to him, albeit his explanation didn’t quite reach either Kuroo or Shoyo, but they both got it to different degrees. 

His hair color simply made him evil and gave them more of a reason to pick on him - or attempt to. Kuroo typically scared them off by simply walking towards him, Kuroo got taller every year and Shoyo was sure he was one of the tallest kids at their school. Kenma always called him dumb because of course that wasn’t true, there were upperclassmen who were taller than Kuroo. Kuroo would always hit Kenma lighter on the shoulder and stick his tongue and complain about him being jealous. 

But Shoyo never cared about their teasing words, his mother had been surprised when he brought it up one night during dinner. How blunt he had said it. (“The kids don’t like me because of my hair, ma. And sometimes they don’t like Kenma, but everyone _loves_ Kuroo.” She had stared at him and he had stared back for just a moment before his eyes fell back to his food). 

The two had continued the conversation, it was easy for them. They just fit each other, there was a reason they had been friends before Shoyo had met either of them. It wasn’t like either of them relied on Shoyo to keep their friendship if anything he relied on them. It felt, at times, that he would be left in the dust if he didn’t try his hardest to catch up to the other two. They had just spent much more time together, Kenma once told him that he knew Kuroo since they were babies. Their families practically raised them together. 

“I have to go - I think.” Shoyo rubbed his eye while the house phone’s menu button blinked a bright red color which signified that it was time to put it on the charger. “Awh - well, make sure you ask your mom tomorrow or I’ll skin ya, goodnight Hinata !” With that Kuroo cut his connection and he could only hear Kenma shift around on his side. “We’ll talk tomorrow, sleep well,” Kenma mumbled before he hung up as well. Shoyo turned to stare at the phone, the blinking started a small beeping that filled his brain and made his thoughts all turn to mush. 

He was quick to put the phone back on the charger in the living room, go back into his room and go to bed, all before 8. Just as he usually would, even if his body burned with extra energy. 

The next morning he was woken by a rather light shove to his shoulder, that was then followed by another and then light laughter. Shoyo opened his eyes slowly, the bright sun fought with his vision, made him squint against it. Then a figure - a black wet nose came into his view, sniffing at his face. 

Shoyo laid there for a while, a smile stuck on his face as the dog began to lick him. He sat up slowly, lifting the puppy from his chest, laughing as it struggled in his hold wanting to continue to lick his face. The puppy’s paws were _huge_ and it looked like a tiny wolf, it’s pelt had multiple different colors that were much like a wolf’s partner. Shoyo was almost convinced his mother had actually gotten him a wolf. But the dog whined when Shoyo continued to hold him, a wolf wouldn’t whine, a wolf would be brave no matter what ! 

But the ginger still released him and allowed the puppy to hit his small head against his chin while his curled tail wagged in excitement. “He’s a Shikoku, Shoyo.” She had been able to feel the question coming, she knew her son and his love for asking questions and better yet. Getting an answer.

Shoyo nodded, giggling as the puppy nipped at his chin, “Does he have a name?” 

“His name is Masaki, his fur is just like our cypress trees, yeah?” She stroked the small animal’s back while Shoyo looked him over, the smile on his face almost painful. He felt like he could cry, no he wanted to cry, almost needed to. But he couldn’t, not while the puppy was just so happy to see him ! He wanted to show the puppy that he was just as happy, plus he couldn’t cry on his birthday ! What would he tell Kuroo and Kenma, that he got emotional over a dog, they would both surely laugh at him. 

“Yeah,” Shoyo spoke after a moment, kissing the dog’s floppy ear. He glanced up at his mother and - she was looking down, a hand on her stomach. His smile dropped, he reckoned there was another present. 

And there was, and it was coming to join them in March. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was difficult to write, I'm terrible when it feels like I have to end something off because it's getting too long, so hey, what do y'all think? Should I keep the chapters long and go with the flow or make it shorter, I feel like I write better if I'm not worried so much about my word count, but I want to make sure that with each chapter the story is going somewhere. 
> 
> Anyway, Shoyo is finally here! The next chapter will still be about his childhood and I believe the next one after that will be where this story finally takes off, have any opinions, suggestions, throw me down a comment and I'll be sure to look at it! ^^

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy, this may be a bit everywhere but I wasn't sure how to start it ! The gang will meet up in the next few chapters - it sure will be a slow burn - and I mean slow, so buckle in gamers ! ^^
> 
> ALSO, come vibe with me on [twitter](https:/twitter.com/oikawasleftsock) I do be just retweeting stuff, but y'all can give me ideas for future things you'd like to see ! Or just talk to me, I would love to see what y'all get into and ,,, mayhaps I'll post my art there?? We'll see,,


End file.
